11.04.2009: I tried to warn you... or, You didn't see this coming? Hire some real advisors.

Congratulations... you now have to come up with some new excuses and people or groups to blame for the Democratic losses in the various state elections yesterday.

You were educated in a liberal ghetto by liberal professors. Is it surprising to you that everyone around you was always in agreement with your views and you with theirs?

Probably. That happens to fish, too. It's hard for fish to have an in-depth discussion of "water." [sorry for the pun.]

I tried to warn you that there are many people in the country who have been worried about your goals and the way in which you've been trying to attain them. Many of us don't like the prospect or characteristics or history of nationalization, but damned near everything you've done or supported has been in the direction of more and more government ownership and/or control, and I do believe that Tuesday's elections are, hopefully, an unavoidable barometer reading on the "pressure of the nation."

A book came out some years ago about "Mavericks" in industry, and why they were valuable and usually ignored or suppressed or outright discarded by management. I was a maverick for most of the 34 years I worked between college and retirement, and while there were a few places that rewarded me well for my "maverick" ideas and contributions, for the most part, I was an outcast, ignored or rejected by people who could have benefited from my contributions. I'm proud to now be a retired maverick.

And now, it looks to me, like you need some mavericks in your organization, but don't have nearly enough of them.

Yes, and that's normal for anyone in your chair. I've watched the same thing happen all the way back to Nixon. You love your ideas, surround yourself with people who agree with you and defend you from anyone who disagrees, labeling them as anything from "lunatics" to "subversives" and everything in-between.

That's the road to failure, and you're welcome to take it, but unfortunately, those choices also screw up life for a few hundred million people called "Fellow Americans," too.

Pelosi, Reid, Franks and a few dozen [or a few score] more in the Senate and House are roundly and regularly ridiculed by citizens all around the country. No, not just the "right wing lunatics" or "folks at Fox TV," either. A large part of "the middle" holds those views, and you're ignoring us. The election results from yesterday are also a "poll" you should take notice of.

Fortune Magazine had a wonderful article about the "car czar" who ran most of the GM and Chrysler fiascoes. It was wildly impressive to me, as he sounded like The One And Only "straight-shooter, honest guy, tell it like it is with no BS guy" in the entire District of Columbia!

He told the unvarnished truth about the automakers, and my respect for him is very high. If his comments had been shared with the entire country as the debacle unfolded, I believe that the process would have gotten immense support by pretty much everyone other than the Auto Worker's Union members. They, too, refuse to take any responsibility for any damage done to their own industry by their own actions. It's an entire generation of "who's fault is it? Not Me!"

Back to mavericks... Please open your mind to the idea that you need to be exposed to more and varied ideas before making your choice of direction. Mavericks like me can ask the questions your chosen advisors will never ask. We'll ask the Devil's Advocate Questions, the "Law of Unintended Consequences" Questions, the "But what if..." questions which you need so much to hear now.

Why, in heaven's name, do you think there were so many objections to the crap that Congress generated in response to your call for Health Care Reform? You gave them no direction, setting them up to be the Fall Guys if their ideas failed. That's not leadership. Sorry about that. I tried to warn you about that nearly a year ago, right after you "won."

You were an awesome candidate. You are a great orator. Now you need to surround yourself with a wider range of opinions from which to do your evaluations and make your decisions. Rush Limbaugh is a moron, but the Cato Institute and the Chicago School of Economics have people who can ask better, more challenging questions than anyone from your cadre can ask today. And I believe that can make all the difference in the years ahead.

If you don't heed my words, you will be amazed at the gains the opposing parties make in the next two elections!